Can covers



Aug. 5, 1958 1. EISENMAN 2,846,112

I CAN COVERS Filed Feb. 6, 1957 v ATTORNEY United States Patent CANCOVERS Louis Eisenman, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application February 6, 1957,Serial No. 638,585

4 Claims. Cl. 220-38) This invention relates to improvements in cancovers, and more particularly to a means for connecting the covers ofgarbage cans and similar receptacles which satisfies the sanitaryregulations of communities requiring that a garbage can cover becompletely separable and removable from its can body, but which at thesame time retains the advantages of the swinging-sliding type of garbagecan cover.

In explanation, it is well known to connect the cover of a domesticgarbage can, pail or similar receptacle so that it may lift and lowerwith respect to the can body, in addition to swinging from its closedposition on the can. Such a cover-to-can or pail connection, sometimestermed a swinging-sliding connection, of course permits filling anddumping of the can, but, more important, it serves to permanently tiethe cover to the can so that it cannot roll or be blown away from thelatter. Unfortunately, however, sanitary regulations in certainlocalities in eflect prohibit the use of garbage cans whose covers arepermanently connected to the can body in that they specify that the cancover be of a type enabling it to be completely separated from the canbody by the garbage collector, thus to insure full dumping and tofacilitate inspection and ventilation of can and cover. Where such aregulation prevails, the advantages to the householder of theswinging-sliding type cover-to-can body connecting means as aforesaidare lost.

Recognizing this unsatisfactory situation, I earlier devised andpatented a swinging-sliding type cover-to-can connection which furtherpermitted physical separation of the cover from the can body, for whichreference is had to my Patent No. 2,032,742, dated March 3, 1936.However, while establishing the correctness of the principle involved,my patented cover connecting means proved too diflicult to operate andtoo expensive, to manufacture for large-scale popular usage.

With the above as background, a principal object of my present inventionis the provision of a simple and thoroughly dependable cover-to-can orpail connecting means which satisfies, in the first instance, theeveryday requirements of the housewife or other person called upon todeposit household garbage in an outside garbage can or pail, withassurance that the can cover will not become accidentally separated andpossibly blown away from the can body, and which also satisfies anyexisting sanitary or collection service regulation requiring that thecover be capable of physical separation from the can body by thecollector for dumping, inspection and ventilation purposes.

A more particular object of the invention is the provision of aswinging-sliding type of connection between a can cover and its canbody, which incorporates simple, easily operable means for physicallydisconnecting said cover from the can body.

Yet another object of my invention is the provision of a cover-to-canbody connecting means operating on the principle of such a means asdisclosed in my Patent 2,846,112 Patented Aug. 5, 1958 No. 2,032,742,but which is much more simple and practical in its operation andinexpensive in its construction.

The above and other objects and advantages of a garbage can coverconnecting means of the present invention will appear from the followingdetailed description thereof, in which reference is had to theaccompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of a can coverconnecting means as herein proposed, in which Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of a garbage can or similar receptacle having a cover mounted andconnected to the can body in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the can turned from its Fig. 1 positionand showing in full and dotted lines the cover in its successive raisedand swung-open positions;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation of one of the attaching bracketsin and by which the cover connecting rods or arms are pivotally andslidably connected at their lower ends to the can body, the coverconnecting arms being shown in their raised position to which they havemoved from their normal lowered position indicated in dotted lines;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig 5 is a transverse section taken on line 55 of Fig. 3; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are views similar to Figs. 3 and 5, respectively, whichillustrates the complete separability of the cover connecting arms fromthe attaching brackets.

Referring to the drawings in detail, reference numeral 10 generallydesignates a typical open-top garbage can or similar receptacle, whoseopen top is adapted to be closed by a can cover 12, illustratively of atype provided with a circumferential flange 14 enabling the cover totelescope over said open top of the can. According to the invention, thecover is connected to the can body by an improved quick-disconnectablecover connecting means to which the present invention is directed, andwhich is so constructed and arranged that in normal usage it enables thecover to be lifted from its closed position on the can body andthereupon swung to full open position and, conversely, to be swung froman open position to an elevated position with respect to the can andthereupon lowered on to the can body to full closed position.

As best seen in Figs. 1, 4 and 5, such connecting means comprise a pairof connecting arms 16a, 16b which are aflixed at their upper ends todiametrically opposed points on the cover flange 14 and extend axiallydownwardly therefrom, terminating at their lower ends in right-angularinbent offsets 18. Said offsets normally function as the hinge pincomponents of hinge pin and slot connections between the lower ends ofthe arms 16a, 16b and the can body, the slots of said connection beingprovided in relatively elongated, vertically disposed attaching brackets20a, 2012 which are afiixed to the outer side of the can body at theappropriate level thereof such as, taking into account the length of theslots to insure both full closing of the can cover 12 and at least theamount of lift thereof as enables said cover to clear the top edge ofthe can body when being swung to and from open position.

More particularly, and as illustrated in Fig. 5, the aforesaid attachingbrackets 20a, 20b each has generally chan nel section and is disposedwith its channel opening inwardly or towards the can body.Relativelywide attaching flanges 22a, 22b (Fig. 3) extending laterallyfrom the side walls defining the bracket channel accommodate rivets 24or other appropriate securing. means serving to secure said flangesflush against the outer side of the can. Preferably, the wall of thebracket which defines the bottom of the channel is of duplexconstruction, there being an outer wall section 26a and an inner wallsection 26b, the latter being spaced a small but appreciable distanceinwardly from said outer wall section. The space between said wallsections accommodates an enlarged. button or disc-form bearing hub 28"fixedly carried by the arm offsets 18 outwardly of their inner ends,said hub having diameter corresponding substantially to the width ofsaid space so as to be freely slidable therealong.

It will be understood that both said bottom wall sections 26a, 26b arelongitudinally slotted for the passage of the arm offsets 18 into thechannel proper, said slots being respectively designated 30a, 30b inFig. 5. At least one of said slots, illustratively the inner slot 30a,is closed at its lower end by a fixed bottom stop 32, and at its upperend by a specially constructed top stop 34 to be described in detail,said stops normally establishing the respective lower and upper limitsof the vertical movement permitted the arm offsets 18 and hence thecover 12.

By reference to Figs. 4 and 5, it will also be seen that the attachingbrackets 20a, 2012 are each formed with a part-circular sleeve formation36 disposed with its opening coinciding with the slot 30a in the outerwall section 26a of the channel bottom. Being vertically arranged and inalignment with the cover connecting arms 16a, 16b when the latter arevertically disposed, the aforesaid sleeve formations are adapted toreceive the lower end of the arms in their full cover-lowered position.Thus, said sleeve formations 36 prevent any angular movement of thecover-connecting arms 16a, 16b and corresponding swinging movement ofthe cover until the latter has been purposely lifted in verticaldirection from the can body for the full axial length of saidformations. Such is a feature of advantage in that it protects againstthe cover being pushed off the can by dogs or other animals because ofthe almost physical impossibility of such animals being able to raisethe cover from the can vertically and in the proper amount prior topushing the cover laterally oil the can.

With the construction so far described, it will be understood that theillustrated hinge pin and slot connection between the lower ends of thearms 16a, 16b and the can body 10, as provided by the arm offsets 18 andthe slots 30a, 30b of the attaching brackets 20a, 20b, both enables andrequires the can cover 12, when in closed position, to be liftedvertically from the can by an amount corresponding generally tothelength of said slots and thereupon swung to its full open position,indicated in Fig. 2, and, when in open position, to be first swung toits raised position with respect to the can and thereupon lowered to itsfull can-closing position. It will also be appreciated that theaforesaid pin and slot connection is of rugged and durable constructionand that it further provides plural bearing and supporting surfacesbetween the arm offsets 18 and the attaching brackets, which insure longlife and trouble-free service.

As explained above, the sanitary or garbage collection regulations ofsome communities require that a garbage can cover be completelydisconnectahle from the can body so as to facilitate and insure fulldumping, inspection and ventilation of can, cover, etc. The presentlyproposed cover-connecting means satisfies this requirement by theprovision. of a slot top-stop which can be rendered inactive, thereuponto permit the cover-connecting arms to be completely withdrawn, i. e.pulled upwardly from their attaching brackets 20a, 20b. To this end, theaforesaid slot top-stops or closures, rather than. being rigidly afiixedto the upper ends of the attaching brackets in their Fig. 4 position inwhich they prevent any further upward movement of the arm offsets 18,are instead mounted for retracting movement to an inactive positionshown in Fig. 7 in which they have no slot closing function whatsoever.

More particularly, each said top; stop: 34 preferably takes the form ofa cross pin extending between the spaced side" walls of the attachingbracket 20a or 2% mounting the same. Said pin is substantially longerthan the space between said side walls, and one end is formed with anenlargement 34a and the other with a bent-over portion forming a grip orhandle 34b. The hole in the side wall of the attaching bracket throughwhich the enlarged end 34a of the pin normally projects is of courseformed large enough to pass same. However, the hole in the other sidewall, i. e. the wall normally adjacent the handle end 3412 of the pin,has lesser diameter than that of the pin enlargement 34a. Accordingly,while the pin may be axially withdrawn from its Fig. 5 to its Fig. 7position, it is prevented from retracting beyond that position by thepin end enlargement 34a.

Normally, the pins are maintained in their active position shown inFigs. 4 and 5, in which they block complete withdrawal of the armofisets 18 from their attaching brackets 20a, 20b. However, when thegarbage collector or the householder preparing for collection desires tobreak the normal connection between cover and can, he or she simplygrasps the handle ends 34b of the pins 34 and pulls them to theirinactive position as shown in Fig. 7. In this position the upper ends ofthe slot CODI- ponents of the connection are completely open as enablesthe connecting arms to be freely withdrawn from same as indicated inFig. 6. Such of course physically disconnects the cover from the canbody, enabling the collector to dump the latter in the usual way. Toremake the connection of cover-to-can body, it is only necessary toinsert the'arm oifsets 18 into the upper ends of bracket slots 30a, 3%,lower same slightly thereinto and push the top stop pins 34 back totheir Fig. 5 position,

whereupon the cover can function as a swinging-sliding:

type of cover connected to the can body as usual.

Without further analysis, it will be appreciated that a cover connectingmeans for garbage cans and similarreceptacles as herein illustrated anddescribed satisfies. the objectives of the invention as explained in thefore-- going. However, as many changes could be made in carrying out theabove construction without departing from the scope of the invention, itis intended that all matter contained in the above description or shownin the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and notin a limiting sense.

Iclaim:

1. Means for separably connecting a can cover to a can body comprising,in combination, means providing a hinge pin and slot connection cover tocan body operative to permit lifting and swinging motion of the coverwith respect to the can body, said connection including hinge pinsaffixed to the cover and extending into the slots of slotted membersafi'ixed to the sides of the can body, said slots being verticallydisposed and open at their upper ends, and retractible means operativelyand permanently connected to said slotted members and positioned thereonas normally to close said slot-ends but being mounted for movement to aninactive position in which they open the slot ends to movement of thehinge pins therethrough.

2. Means for separably connecting a can cover to a can body comprising,in combination, a pair of cover connecting and swing arms aflixed attheir upper ends to the cover, means providing hinge pin and slotconnections between the lower ends' of said arms and the can body andbeing operative to permit lifting and swinging of the cover with respectto the can body, said connections comprising inbent ends on the lowerends of said arms functioning as hinge pins and a pair of elongatedvertically disposed attaching brackets having channel section afiixed tothe can body with their channels facing inwardly towards said body andbeing provided with elongated vertical slots in their outer walls whichdefine the bottoms of. said. channels, saidinbent ends of. the

arms extending through said slots into the channels and said slots beingopen at their upper ends, and means operatively-connected to the upperends of the brackets and normally extending across same and closing theupper ends of the slots, said last means being mounted for movement toan inactive position in which they open said upper ends of the slots toseparating movement of the inbent ends of the arms from the brackets.

3. Means for separably connecting a can cover to a can bodysubstantially as set forth in claim 2, wherein each said last meanscomprises a cross pin slidably mounted in aligned holes in the sidewalls which define each bracket channel.

4. Means for separably connecting a can cover to a 5 2,032,742

can body substantially as set forth in claim 3, wherein said cross pinsare each provided with an enlarged diameter head at one end and itsother end is bent angularly to form a pull handle, said head beinglarger than the hole in the channel side wall nearer the pull handlethereby to prevent complete axial separation of the cross pin from itsassociated bracket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,220,975 Gemeinder Mar. 27, 1917 1,227,105 Barnes May 22, 19171,591,781 Ried July 6, 1926 Eisenman Mar. 3, 1936

